Search This Blog

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Italian Goulash

I saw this recipe on Pam's site - For the Love of Cooking - way back in 2010 - yep, it's taken me this long to finally make it! I know.. crazy, right? But, if you collect recipes like I do, you know there are just SO many great recipes out there and SO little time to actually make them all. Oh if only someone would pay me to stay home and cook all day!! Granted, I would have to eat whatever I made so I could probably gain somewhere close to 100 pounds and... well... Ok, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all....

Let's get back to the goulash! When I was a kid, my mom would make goulash from time to time and it was one of my favorites. Now I believe that everyone that is reading this was raised eating some type of goulash. And I'm sure that the ones we ate were the best ever. And that is true in my case, at least - my mom's was simple and it was the best I have ever had... Until now... (gulp, did I just say that out loud?) Sorry mom!!

See.. the goulash is so good I would dare tell my mom that this one just might be a tad bit better (only a tiny bit, Mom, I swear). Oh goodness... I think I'm going to be getting a phone call today... :)

Directions:Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook for 4 minutes; stirring and breaking up the beef as it cooks. Add the peppers and zucchini and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Drain any excess grease and season with salt and pepper. Pour in the marinara sauce, stirring to combine. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Taste for seasoning and salt and pepper if needed. Top with cheese if desired. Enjoy!

15 comments:

Wow, that is saying a lot! I love my mom's goulash, too..esp. if she is the one who makes it. This sounds good with all of the veggies in here. My mom uses green pepper, but I like the red pepper and zucchini in this.

Yep, we all were fed goulash as we grew up. Let's face it, it is inexpensive, not time-consuming, and frankly delicious. All I know for sure is that my mom's version included ground beef, elbow macaroni and tomatoes.

Ah goulash! I hated, even loathed it as a kid (could have been my extreme hatred of onions and tomatoes and bell peppers, hmm all things I love now...) and adore it now! Love the zucchini in this one, and the use of pasta sauce. Talk about flavor!! Might have to make this version next time it's goulash night!

Comfort Food 101. I grew up on this, but in my Scandinavian neighborhood we called it 'hotdish.' The problem with this delicious stuff is that it has no edges. It's way too easy to stuff yourself before you know it, especially if you're eating it while reading or watching TV. Caveat emptor. LOL

About Me

I'm a daughter, a granddaughter, a sister, a wife, an aunt, a
niece, a cousin and a friend. I'm a mother to our three cats: Savage
Beast, Bailey's Irish Cream, and Lex(i) Luthor. My passions are food and
fire. I love to read, I love to cook, I love to love.